The Five Demigods Who Saved Olympus | Book 1, 2, & 3

β′

A little before

Noelle, daughter of Poseidon, woke to the sound of birds chirping, children laughing outside as they chased each other down the sidewalk, school buses pulling up to the apartment buildings, and many more. They were the same sounds that filled her ears for years. They annoyed her to no end. She sat up in her bed and took a look around her room. She looked over to the boring pictures on the wall, to the stupid bookshelf that took up quite a bit of her room, and to the stupid curtains that didn't do their job of keeping light out of the room. She yawned and stretched her arms out before standing up to draw back the curtains. She squinted at the bright light as she pulled both sides closer to keep out the sun. Noelle then made her way out of her room and down the short hallway to the kitchen where Hestia sat, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Coffee dehydrates you." Noelle said to Hestia as she opened up the kitchen cabinet to grab a box of cereal.

"I'm aware." Hestia simply said.

"It can also cause you headaches, restlessness, insomnia, and many other things." Noelle said.

"I know. You tell me this every morning." Hestia repeated.

"And yet, you still drink it. At least three cups each morning." Noelle said, pouring a box of Frosted Flakes into her bowl, then pouring the milk in.

"Are you going to the Fosters today?" Hestia asked. The Fosters were neighbors of Noelle and Hestia. Ms. Foster was an older woman who had four children whom she could not watch over during most days due to her always having to be at work. Noelle offered only one time to watch over them when she noticed the older woman's struggle on one of the days that she left to do her daily routine. It soon became a recurring situation where Noelle would catch her on her way to work, exhausted in the hallway from the night shift she'd taken. Noelle always felt terrible about the older woman's situation, and each and every time she'd spot her, she'd offer to watch over the four young children.

"No, Ms. Foster got a day off. I won't be watching her kids today." Noelle said. She took a spoonful of her cereal and munched on it as she made her way over to the couch in the living room.

"Will you see the others today?" Hestia asked. Noelle set her bowl down on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Noelle knew who she was referring to.

"No, I don't think I will." Noelle stated, resting her arms behind her head.

"You promised me you'd start to see the others more." Hestia reminded her.

"I have no interest in being friends with the other Half-bloods." Noelle said flatly.

"I never asked you to befriend them. One day and that day may come very soon, you'll have to fight alongside them. You need to have their trust, and they need to have yours." Hestia said, walking over and resting her hand on Noelle's shoulder. Noelle had enough and didn't want to hear of it any longer. She headed to her bedroom, leaving her bowl of cereal behind, and began changing out of her night clothes into clothes to go out in. She grabbed her things and put them in her pocket, then headed out of her room and to the front door.

"I'll be back," Noelle muttered exiting her apartment and walking through the hallway. She brought both her earbuds and phone out of her pocket and began listening to music. Her routine in the mornings was always the same. She'd wake to hear the noise of the world outside her window, make food for herself, listen to Hestia go on about how she needs to interact with the other Half-blooded children more, then she'd decide to go out for the day. First, she'd take a stroll through the park. Then, she'd go get a cup of tea at a local café And finally, she'd go to the library and spend hours reading whatever she could find. Did it bore her? Yes. She hated her routine. But, in all truth, there was nothing else she wanted to do. Well, except for spending the day, talking with her mother. But, she no longer could. She'd never let herself be in her head for too long to remind her of the painful fact that her mother was no longer with her. Noelle decided to do something spontaneous and go to the library first. She walked through the busy streets of New York and to the big library that occupied a good portion of the street she walked on. She made it inside and headed straight for the first bookshelf she could find. She grabbed a book with a moss-colored spine and pulled it from the shelf. She ran her fingers over the embellishments on the cover of the book. She felt satisfied with her choice and walked to a secluded area in the library to begin reading. Not even ten minutes into reading the book she found, she felt a vibration in her pocket. She immediately reached into her pocket and pulled out a small electronic device. She watched the red light blink and sat there wondering what this device was. She carried it with her every day. It went with her everywhere she went. She had it all of her life, and yet she had no idea what this device was.